How do you teach a child to be compassionate in a world of walls, bullying and blame? You live as an example, surround yourself with kind people and...

Jan. 1, 2018

Tales of triumph

By Kaitlin Ungs

Kaitlin Ungs is a 20-something Midwest gal who loves kids, the outdoors, travel, art, and books of all kinds. Find her and her social media at kaitlinungs.com.

Women have faced big challenges throughout history, including, of course, right now. But females — of all ages — have also achieved amazing things throughout the centuries. Why not explore those stories, not just with your daughters, but also your sons? These awesome books will make it easy!

Strong Is the New Pretty

Girls from 4 to 19 years old share their advice, dreams and stories about themselves in this captivating photo book. Compiled by a mom photographer, these images show the power of being uniquely confident, wild, resilient, kind, joyful and determined — in gender roles both traditional and not.

Ages 5 and up • $17.95

The Pink Hat

This nostalgic picture book features black-and-white illustrations with pops of pink and a simple story that ends with a march, including pink hats everywhere — the perfect jumping off point for conversations with your kids about women’s rights.

Ages 3 and up • $17.99

She Persisted

Sometimes being a girl isn’t easy: “At some point, someone probably will tell you ‘no,’ will tell you to ‘be quiet’ and may even tell you your dreams are impossible.” Fortunately, this engaging, inviting picture book, inspired by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and written by Chelsea Clinton, tells girls to stand up for themselves, using concise examples of 13 real-life American women.

Ages 4–8 • $17.99

First Ladies

Close your eyes, kids, and imagine how your life would change if one of your parents became president of the United States. Then learn about all the triumphant ways women of the White House have used their power to help shape politics, history and life — including women’s rights — in America.

Ages 4–8 • $17.99

I Am A Woman

This beautiful, linen-bound coffee-table book (compact at 9 inches square) will introduce your kids to more than 50 fabulous females, each captured in a gorgeous black-and-white photograph, paired with a quote or short informational paragraph. Meet entertainers (such as Audrey Hepburn, pictured in her later years, not her girly days), athletes (Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph), authors (Maya Angelou), scientists (Marie Curie) and activists — plus heroic survivors of racism and the Holocaust. This is the first-ever title published by Jane’s Parade Books, a new imprint from the nonprofit Afton Press of St. Paul. Written by country-pop singer-songwriter and Minnesota native Mary Sue Englund, this gem includes the lyrics to her 2011 song, I Am A Woman, in the front of the book and a CD with the song in the back, too.

Ages 5 and up • $24.95

Malala’s Magic Pencil

Malala Yousafzai — the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Pakistani girl behind the memoir I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban — brings her story to a younger audience with an age-appropriate non-violent tale, sprinkled with elements of whimsy (a gold-ink magic pencil) and simple storytelling on soft, watercolor pages.

Ages 5–8 • $17.99

100 Women Who Made History

It isn’t always easy to bring to life the dynamic biographies of historic figures, especially on an international scale. But this colorful, information-packed encyclopedia-like book does just that, telling the stories of Frida Kahlo, Sacagawea, Eleanor Roosevelt and many others — as well as women whose names may not be as familiar, such as Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei, revolutionary Louise Michel and mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya. We like the “Who came before …” and “Who came after …” segments, which provide context and timelines, too!